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NEW RELEASE – FEBRUARY 2012

Southern Hospitality a rising roots/blues supergroup

A fleeting, magical moment at a Florida music festival led to a collaboration that has had fans of roots and blues music raving ever since.

It happened three years ago at a post-festival party jam session hosted by a club that sponsored the festival. That was the first time Damon Fowler, J.P. Soars and Victor Wainwright played together. They are now known collectively as blues supergroup Southern Hospitality.

“We all got up, started playing, jamming and, just naturally, it felt really good,” Fowler recalls in an interview from his home near Tampa. “There was a guy there that was like, ‘Hey man, I want to hire y’all for this event that we have every year and I want this lineup right here to come down and do it.'”

Though guitarists Fowler and Soars and pianist Wainwright are all bandleaders on their own projects, they agreed.

But to make it worthwhile for Wainwright, who lives in Memphis, to come back to Florida — the home base for Fowler and Soars — they organized a mini-tour of the state with about seven dates, Fowler says.

The jam band didn’t even have a name. They just called it the Southern Hospitality Tour, Fowler says. But by the time they reached the event, they were getting offers for more work. READ MORE

Soho in Top Ten of 2013 for About Blues.com

SOHO MAKES ANOTHER 2013 BEST OF LIST

Southern Hospitality is a roots ‘n’ blues “supergroup” of sorts, featuring as it does the talents of guitarists Damon Fowler and JP Soars and pianist Victor Wainwright, the outfit rounded out by bassist Chuck Riley and drummer Chris Peet. What they all have in common aside from the blues is a Southern perspective on the music, and it comes as no surprise that the band’s debut, Easy Livin’, was produced by another hardcore Dixie musician, Louisiana guitarist Tab Benoit. The result is a delightful brew of Southern roots-rock, Delta-inspired blues, boogie-woogie, and much, much more, Southern Hospitality’s Easy Livin’ goes down smoother than a mouthful of white lightnin’ swigged from a mason jar!

8 questions for Victor Wainwright

When the road calls, Victor Wainwright answers.

The singer and keyboard player stays in direct contact with his listeners, performing dates around the country. Theaters, nightclubs, festivals, music cruises … Wainwright relishes them all. He’s following a time-honored tradition for hard-working musicians, especially ones who play the blues.

“It’s not a problem,” says Wainwright, a Georgia-born artist who’s based in Memphis. “I’d never call anything to do with music a problem. To do what you love is a blessing.”

He’s been building a following in Birmingham with his own band, Victor Wainwright and the Wildroots, but returns here on Dec. 7 with a very special side project, Southern Hospitality.

Wainwright, guitarist J.P. Soars and lap steel player Damon Fowler are the principals, uniting their talents for a sound that combines blues with roots rock and soul. Southern Hospitality released its first record, “Easy Livin’,” in March on Blind Pig Records, but for these guys, it’s mostly about the live show.